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The only acceptable rating to leave an Uber driver is 5 stars

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Re: The only acceptable rating to leave an Uber driver is 5 stars

#101

Post by JohnFen »

tlogan wrote: post #64
ChildOfChaos wrote: post #13

A rating for Uber is silly. It's just a ride to get you to A to B, having a five star rating system is what creates a situation where leaving a 5 star review i the 'only acceptable rating' I think maybe it should just be a few simple questions that are yes or no, based on did the driver follow procedures, get you to your location, provide a suitable vehicle etc. Maybe these questions are randomised so you only get as…

Isn't that the way it typically works? If you rate an Uber less than five stars, the app will prompt you for a reason. This feedback system is one of the ways Uber surpasses traditional taxis in service quality. If the car is exceptionally unclean (gross like hell) then a perfect rating isn't justified. However, it's generally advised to give a rating below five stars only for significant issues. If the driver gets y…

> This feedback system is one of the ways Uber surpasses traditional taxis in service quality.

In my city, anyway, Uber does not surpass traditional taxis on service quality.

Re: The only acceptable rating to leave an Uber driver is 5 stars

#102

Post by JohnFen »

pointlessone wrote: post #91
andsoitis wrote: post #2

Without thinking too deeply about the incentives and unintended consequences, it seems a better rating system would be "thumbs up" and "thumbs down", with the latter requiring some rationale (the text can be checked with AI to make sure it isn't just gibberish).

One of Uber's competitors have a 5 star system where 4 and 5 stars show you a few options below with the title "What did you like?". Those are optional. for 3 and 2 they will show "What was the issue?" and you have to write a shot message describing the issue. And for 1 they show no options but will call you and ask what was so terrible about your ride.

> And for 1 they show no options but will call you and ask what was so terrible about your ride.

That sounds like a very effective way of getting riders to never leave a 1 under any circumstance.

Re: The only acceptable rating to leave an Uber driver is 5 stars

#103

Post by JohnFen »

pclmulqdq wrote: post #35
tiahura wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Flirting is normal and healthy. If you've been convinced otherwise, you've been misled.

But maybe you shouldn't flirt with your customers. Also maybe you should stop if you get a less-than-warm response when you say "hello."

Properly done, flirting with customers can be fine. But most men don't know how to properly flirt.

First, they confuse flirting with "hitting on". Those are two different things. But the main thing about flirting is that you sneak up on it. You start with interactions that are friendly and 99% innocent. The sort that will not offend or threaten anybody. If you get responses in kind, you gradually escalate. If you don't, or if they stop, then you stop as well.

In a way, flirting is more like a dance. If your partner isn't dancing with you, you need to stop doing it with them.

Re: The only acceptable rating to leave an Uber driver is 5 stars

#104

Post by RobotToaster »

Finnucane wrote: post #51
JustBreath wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The parallels are eerie. > Sometimes, she gets worried about picking up passengers rated less than 4.8. Like a 4.79 is really low. I wonder, ‘Do I have to fear for my life with this person?’

I used to buy vintage cameras on ebay (not so much lately--no more room) and one of the things you quickly realize is that a 'seller rating' of less than say 95% means 'avoid'. The way the ratings are calculated mean that if they're getting enough dings to bring the score down even a few points, they're doing something wrong.

I find it depends, a small seller can end up with a low percentage because one unreasonable buyer leaves them a bad feedback, but for large sellers anything less than 98% or so is a big red flag.

Re: The only acceptable rating to leave an Uber driver is 5 stars

#105

Post by JohnFen »

wkdneidbwf wrote: post #30
ChildOfChaos wrote: post #13

A rating for Uber is silly. It's just a ride to get you to A to B, having a five star rating system is what creates a situation where leaving a 5 star review i the 'only acceptable rating' I think maybe it should just be a few simple questions that are yes or no, based on did the driver follow procedures, get you to your location, provide a suitable vehicle etc. Maybe these questions are randomised so you only get as…

exactly, starred ratings are weird for both the passenger and driver ..but they’re also fast to leave and well understood which i’m sure is why they’re used. if you started asking questions instead folks will stop providing feedback. maybe they could incentivize the behaviors through small credits for future rides or something.

> and well understood

I think they're clearly not well-understood. It's not obvious that a 1-5 scale is actually meant to be a binary one.

I was actually scolded by an Uber driver here on HN when I commented that I considered 3 stars to mean "average and acceptable". I was accused of destroying the livelihood of drivers. His perspective was that the only time you shouldn't leave a five star rating is if something was wrong with the ride.

The problem was that nobody bothered to tell me that the 1-5 scale wasn't intended to be a 1-5 scale.

Re: The only acceptable rating to leave an Uber driver is 5 stars

#106

Post by JohnFen »

Georgelemental wrote: post #73
brk wrote: post #59

For any rating system, I tend to reserve the top-tier ranking for something that exceeds normal or reasonable expectations. So the average Uber trip gets 4 stars when I rate it. 4 means it met my expectations, nothing went wrong, but also nothing was beyond expectations. 5 stars is basically perfection, and it is silly to expect perfection as the standard experience. It is also difficult to roll up the entire trip ex…

Your Uber rating habits are perhaps more "logical" than those of others, but they don't match the behavior of everyone else, so the actual effect of your rating is that you are punishing good drivers. An Uber driver will likely be banned from the platform if their rating drops below 4.6

But isn't it unfair to riders to expect this behavior from them without telling them that's the expectation?

The whole thing is just BS. Why even have a sliding scale rating system?

This is one of the larger issues that got me to just stop using Uber entirely.

Re: The only acceptable rating to leave an Uber driver is 5 stars

#108

Post by jjj123 »

misnome wrote: post #96
jdmichal wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If only the article had covered such a scenario... And I quote: > *****: This person deserves to have access to this platform and the ability to earn a living through it > *, **, ***, ****: This person is a danger to me, themself, and others and should be removed from the service Sure sounds like your exact experience falls under that second group!

Almost sounds like the title is clickbait!

It’s not though?

I’ve taken 600+ rides and gave all 5-stars except for a single dangerous ride.

Maybe I’m not as exacting as your average HN commenter, but I’d still describe my stance as “always give 5 stars” despite the outlier.

Re: The only acceptable rating to leave an Uber driver is 5 stars

#109

Post by nunez »

> You didn’t like their attitude? They seemed unfriendly, reserved, disinterested? Five stars.

I'm not going to give a driver that went on a tirade over me telling them to wear a seat belt five stars.

It goes both ways, though. If I'm being a subpar rider, then I should get dinged.

Re: The only acceptable rating to leave an Uber driver is 5 stars

#110

Post by Finnucane »

JustBreath wrote: post #95
plorkyeran wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I remember in the early days of ebay before they had the official rating system it became accepted that you had to leave a review containing A+++++++++++ if the shipper did an acceptable job because a grade of merely A+ meant that you got the thing you bought but something wasn't great about the experience and anything worse than that meant the seller was a scammer.

I used to really enjoy writing and reading those ridiculous reviews. "Shipping came so fast I had to duck!!!" "If I were locked in prison this seller could be my bunk mate!"

Yeah, just saying the item was what it was supposed to be and the price was fair was not enough.
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